Hemmings Find of the Day – 1950 Jaguar Mk 5 drop head coupe

The Jaguar Mark V was first introduced at the 1948 London Motor show with the XK120 sports car. The all pressed steel chassis was newly designed by Jaguar’s chief engineer William Heynes and William Lyons himself. It is reminiscent of pre-war styling with Bentley style vertical grill and large headlamps, although modernized with rounded body styling. The Mark V debuted several technological first. It was the first Jaguar with independent front suspension and ball joints, first with torsion bars, first with all around hydraulic brakes, first with the chassis passing over the rear axle for greater comfort, and first to be specifically designed to be produced in Left Hand Drive, primarily for the North American market. It was also the last with the push-rod engines originally designed in the 1930s by the Standard Motor Company, though after the war the engines were built by Jaguar.

The Mark V could be purchased as either a 4 door hard top Saloon sedan or a 2 door open air Drop Head Coupe version. Both were designed as 4 passenger vehicles with suicide doors. Two engines were available, a 2 ½ liter and 3 ½ liter. A total of only 1675 of these cars were produced over the course of the three years. Only 977 of the convertible Drop Head Coupes were made from 1949 – 1951, of them 577 were left hand drive. Only a few remain today.

This car was manufactured in England on Aug 9, 1950 and distributed through Hornburg in Los Angeles, CA on Aug 28, 1950. It has the larger desirable 3 ½ Liter pushrod straight 6-cyclinder engine. A circa 1980 restoration with black leather interior and top is still in excellent condition today. Original burled walnut veneer graces the instrument panel and interior trim. The car runs beautifully with original 4 speed manual gear box. Stored indoors in sunny California

badornatosays:

July 25, 2017 10:40 am

Robert W. Lovellsays:

July 25, 2017 12:04 pm

Greetings All,

DHC – Drop Head Coupe. Has roll up windows as opposed to side curtains. The hood envelope stores above the body line.

OTS – Open Top Sportscar. Has side curtains and some times fold down windshields like an MG TC or an early Healey. Because these cars were exposed more to the elements, they tend not to have the more ornate dash veneers of the DHC. The hood envelope store beneath the body line out of sight.

John C. Kovalosays:

July 25, 2017 12:31 pm

They’re also referred to as “Convertible” and “Roadster”. The convertibles were generally finished inside like a hard-top [or “fixed head”] with nice wood veneers, rugging, etc. and were intended to be driven top-up, with the option of “dropping” the top, or “head”, in fair weather. The roadsters were basically open-top cars and driven as such, being generally finished out with rubber floor mats, metal or leatherette-covered dash, and padded coaming around the top edge of the passenger compartment. Sometimes studs were fitted around its periphery to fasten a split tonneau cover. If you insisted on seeking shelter during heavy rains, the “head” frame could be hinged up from its concealment, and then the fabric [or more leatherette] and side curtains taken out from its stowage tray behind the seat backs. Roadsters were much more elegant-looking with their smooth, unbroken lines but positively UGLY with that makeshift-looking top up!

John C. Kovalosays:

July 25, 2017 11:18 am

A bit stodgy, perhaps, but very impressive and very rare. My personal tastes of this Era run towards the Silver Wraith, but I think this Jag will only appreciate in value as time goes by – perhaps through the roof.
HAPPY MOTORING to whoever gets it!

mikesays:

July 25, 2017 1:39 pm

A beautiful design. I had no idea Jaguar every designed a car for North America, especially in that era, with Britain still struggling to recover from WWII.
I hope it finds a buyer who will keep it as it is and in the public eye.

Dwight Neislersays:

July 26, 2017 9:53 am

I was in the USAF stationed in Ipswich, England in 1966. A friend was leaving to return to the U.S. and had his 1950 MK V for sale. A beautiful car, he was asking $500. for it. Sadly, I couldn’t afford it as that was about 3 months pay for me.